Ore-concentrator



(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 1..

- E. W. STEPHENS.

ORE OONOENTRATOR. No. 329,862. Patented Nov. 3, 1885.

N PETERS. Phota-Lilhcgraphur wnshm x m 0 C4 (No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

E. W. STEPHENS. I

ORE GONGENTRATOR.

No. 329,862. Patented Nov. 15,1885.

N Finns. PhnveLixhn n hu. wmmgwn. n C.

(No Model.) a ShetsSheet 3. E. W. STEPHENS.

ORE GONGIBNTRATOR.

Invan Z7;- (5 wig/4W P e r-v Patented Nov. 3, 1885.

fl-Z'Zzeuarehr.

tinrrnn STATES Parent @rrrcn.

ORE GONCENTRATOP.

Application iiled July 25, 1834.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, Enwnnn W. STEPHENS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Eric, in the county of Erie and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Ore-Concentrators; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of theinvention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appcrtains to make and use the same.

This invention relates tothat class of oreconcentrators in which the ore is mingled with water and the ore-bed is so moved as to agitate the mixture, and thus produce a precipitation of the valuable particles; and it consists in certain improvements in the construction of the ore-bed, as willhcreinafter be fully described, and pointed out in the claims.

The particular means by which the ore-bed is moved to effect the agitation of the mixture forms no part of this invention, and will not be shown or described.

The ore-bed of this machine consists of aseries of pans which are mounted on a conveyer apparatus which moves from the tail tothe head end of the machine. The construction of the pans is such that while they are mountedseparately, and, when dumped, move independently of each other, they so overlap when in an upright position that overflow from one .pan will iiow into the panimmediatelyfollowing it without waste.

The construction of the device is also such that while the pans are passing from the tail end of the machine to the head end they ride upon tracks which are graded up from the tail to the head end of the machine in a gradually-increasing incline, so that thepans as they reach the head end of the machine are so tilted toward the tail end of the machine as to cause an overflow into those following. The tailings are carried from the ore-bed against its upward movement by the flow of water down the incline from pan to pan, while the headings or valuable matter is carried up in the pans and removed therefrom by the dump ing of the pans as they turn to pass back to the tail end of the machine.

The accompanying drawings illustrate my device, as follows:

Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal section taken on the line 00 min Fig. 2, the first track- Renewed October 10, 18 5.

part of Letters Patent No. 329,862, dated November 3, 1885.

Serial No. 179,529. (No model.)

girder, A", to theleft of saidline beingbroken away, as shown by the waving line 2, so as to give a face View of the track-bar a on the girder beyond, and also to show the conveyorchains. In this figure pans D are omitted from the lower part of the conveyor-chains. Fig. 2 is an end elevation taken from the left of Fig. 1, which is the tail endot' themachine. In this view pans are omitted at the end to show construction of parts beyond. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of two pans overlapped. Fig. 4: is an end elevation of one of the pans, and shows theiron frame-work which is attached underneath the same. Fig. 6 is a plan view of the bottom of one of the pans, showing the iron frame-work. Fig. 5 is a perspective view showing alarge rectangular pan, which may be substituted for the form of pan shown in Fig. 3. Fig. 7 is a side view of the guide G, detached from the machine.

Letters of reference designate parts as follows: A A A A the frame-work; A the girders on which the tracks a are secured; B B, the sprocketwheels; 0, the conveyorchains forming the conveyer apparatus; D, the pans, which may be divided into two semicircularparts, DD, as shown clearly in Fig. 3, or not, as is shownin Fig. 5; E,aniro1'ifran1ework on which the pan D is secured, and by which it is connected with the chains 0; F and G, guides, F being at the tail end of the machine and serving to guide the pans as they pass around the sprocket-wheel B up onto the tracks a, while G is at the head end of the machine and serves to guide the pans as they leave the tracks and pass down around the sprocket-wheel B.

The letters which designate other parts will appear in the following detailed description of the device.

WVhatever shaking or other agitating movement is given to the ore-bed will be given to the frame-work, and as the means for thus agitating the bed form no part of this invention, they are not illustrated.

At each end of the frame-work are placed shafts, on which are mounted the sprocketwheels B B. The conveyerchains have no peculiar construction further than to be provided with links a at proper intervals, with ears having boltholes, to which the pan-frames are pivotally connected by studs 6 6, extending from said frame. It will be seen from Fig. 2 that each pan -frame is connected with two sprocket-chainsone at each end of the frame. The machine, as shown, is double, there being two separate series of pan sets, making, in fact, two separate ore-beds.

On each of the pan-frames E there is a guideshoe, 6, which rides upon the guide F when the pans are passing up around the sprocketwheels B. There is also on the said frames E a guidelug, e, which acts upon the guide G when the pans are passing around the sprocket-wheel B. There are also on the said frames two rollers or wheels, at a, which run upon the tracks an as the pans are passing from the sprocket-wheels B to the sprocket-wheels B.

The pans are made of metal, either cast or sheet metal; or they may be made of any other material, such as vulcanized india-rubber, paper, 850. They may be made as shown in Fig. 5, or as shown in the other figures. I prefer the construction shown in the other figures, where the pan-body is divided into two semicircular compartments, D D, for the reason that such a shape is more like a hand-pan,and whatever agitating movement is given to the ore-bed the form of the pan will give a more or less circular or eddying movement to the mixture, which is desirable. The pan-bodies D are provided with lips d and 01, along their sides. These are for the purpose of interlocking the pan-bodies as they are moving from the tail to the head end of the machine, and thus form a water-shed between them, so that the mixture can flow from one pan to the other without waste.

The tracks a, on which the pans run as they go from the tail to the head of the machine, are graded in a gradually-increasing incline from the tail to the head of the machine, as will be seen in Fig. 1, for the purpose of causing the pans to tilt as they approach the head end of the machine, and thus spill the light unprec'ipitated mixture they contain into the pans following them.

When the pans reach the upper end of the track, the lug e on the frame E on the under side of each pan-body D comes in contact with p a cam-like flange, g, on the guide G. This occurs just as the rollers a leave the end of the track, and the flange g raises the rear side of the pan and causes its lip d to be disengaged from the lip d of the-pan following. As the pan proceeds,the lug 0 passes down a channel, 9', between the flanges g and g, and then along the under side of the flange g. The object of this is to prevent the pans turning forward on their pivotal connection with the sprocketchains while they are passing around the sprocket-wheels B. WVhen they have passed around to the lower side,they are released and pass to the tail end of the machine, hanging by their pivotal connections to the chains, as is seen in Fig. 1. If the pans were not thus held when passing aroundthe sprocket-wheels B, the headings which there dump from the pans would be thrown upon the bottom of the preceding pan; but when thus held the dumpings fall free from the pan without obstruction.

If desired, the pans may be coated with quicksilver, so as to produce amalgamation.

- What I claim as new is- 1. In an ore-concentrator of the class herein named, the combination, substantially as set forth, of a conveyer apparatus and a series'of pan-bodies mounted on said conveyer apparatus independently of each other, each of which is provided with lips d d, and is divided into semicircular compartments D D, for the purposes set forth.

2. In an ore-concentrator of the class herein named, the combination of the following ele ments: the sprocket-wheels B B, conveyerchains 0, tracks (0, guides F and G, and pans -D, frames E, having studs 6", for connecting said pans with the said chains, shoes e, for acting on said guide F, rollers a, for acting on said tracks, and lugs e, for acting on said guide G.

In testimony whereof I affix my signaturein presence of two witnesses.

EDWARD W. STEPHENS. Witnesses:

JNo. K. HALLOCK, ROBERT H. PORTER. 

